Hi, my name is Dirk Laukens and I teach jazz guitar.
I grew up with the music of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, but soon after my first guitar teacher (Jo Cassiers) introduced me to the jazz standards So What and All of Me, I got hooked on jazz.
This led me to start studying jazz guitar full-time, first at the Jazz Studio (Antwerp, Belgium) and then at the Royal Conservatory of Music, also in Antwerp.
My guitar teachers at that time were Hendrik Braeckman and Martijn van Iterson. I also followed guest lessons and workshops by John Abercrombie, Jesse van Ruller, Kenny Wheeler, Barry Harris, Maria Schneider, and many more.
In 2003, I started Jazz Guitar Online as a means to document my lessons at the Conservatory. This grew out to the biggest and most popular jazz guitar website it is today, and a thriving forum with over 65,000 members.
Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have feedback or questions about all things guitar-related, I’m here to help!
After years of playing Ibanez, Heritage, and Epiphone, I found my workhorse guitar in this 1973 Gibson ES-175.
I use this Fender Telecaster for more pop orientated stuf. A versatile guitar at a great price.
Delivers everything from jazz cleans to more textured sounds, with amp/effect models that feel natural and responsive.
A full-range, flat-response speaker designed for modelers like the Tone Master Pro.
I have been using these flat wound strings since forever because of their great sound and low tension.
They ain't cheap, but I have yet to find a pick with the same sound and control as these BlueChips.
Nature Boy was written in 1947 by Eden Ahbez (born George Alexander Aberle) and became famous after Nat King Cole recorded it in 1948. Cole’s version held the No. 1 spot for eight weeks and sold over a million copies. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to play both the melody and chords of Nature
Fly Me to the Moon is one of the most famous and recognizable jazz standards ever. In this lesson, you will learn how to play the chords and chord progression of this popular song. In the chord study below, you will mostly learn basic jazz guitar chords and voicings such as minor 7, major 7,
Blue Bossa is an ideal introduction for guitarists interested in Brazilian jazz. In this lesson, you’ll learn to play the chord progression of Blue Bossa using a classic bossa nova groove that works well on the guitar. To help you get comfortable with this style, you’ll go through two chord studies based on Blue Bossa’s
Autumn Leaves is a timeless jazz standard recorded by numerous jazz legends, making it a must-know tune for any aspiring jazz guitar player. In this guitar lesson, you will learn a beginner-friendly chord arrangement of Autumn Leaves. This arrangement uses drop 2 and drop 3 chords, two basic chord shapes essential for every jazz guitarist.
Groovin’ High was written by Dizzy Gillespie in 1945. It became his best-known composition and one of the first famous bebop recordings. In this lesson, you will learn how to play the melody of Groovin’ High combined with chord hits. Groovin’ High is a contrafact of Whispering, first recorded in 1920 by bandleader Paul Whiteman
Billie’s Bounce, one of the most iconic jazz standards from the bebop era, was written by Charlie Parker in 1945 and is one of his most famous songs. In this in-depth tutorial, you will learn about the melody and bebop language used in this classic tune. The original recording included Charlie Parker (alto sax), Miles
One of the most common chord progressions in jazz is the blues. A straight 12-bar blues typically consists of three dominant seventh chords (I–IV–V). In jazz, this basic form is expanded with added harmony, such as ii–V–I progressions and more sophisticated turnarounds. Jazz blues also uses a more advanced melodic language and phrasing, which is
What a Wonderful World was written by Bob Thiele/George David Weiss and first recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1967. It became a hit in the UK, but initially failed to gain traction in the US. ABC Records president Larry Newton refused to promote the release simply because he disliked the song’s slow tempo. That changed
Moon River was composed by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer for the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). The song was written for Audrey Hepburn to sing on screen. She performs the vocal herself, but the guitar accompaniment is not actually played by her. In this lesson, you will learn a chord melody arrangement of Moon
Georgia on My Mind is one of those timeless standards that works beautifully as a chord melody arrangement for guitar. The song was composed in 1930 by Hoagy Carmichael, who also made the first recording with his orchestra featuring Hoagy on vocals, Eddie Lang on guitar, and Bix Beiderbecke on cornet (his last recording session).
Besame Mucho, one of the most popular songs of the 20th century, was written in 1940 by Mexican songwriter Consuelo Velázquez. The bolero is inspired by the Eusebius theme from the first movement of Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor (opus 54). The most famous jazz guitar version of the song was recorded in
Ronny Jordan’s acid-jazz cover of So What (Miles Davis) was the first single of the late English jazz guitarist. His version was released in 1992 on his debut album The Antidote, and became a worldwide hit. In this jazz guitar lesson, you will learn how to play Ronny Jordan’s version of So What. The lesson
Fly Me to the Moon was written by composer Bart Howard in 1954 and recorded by singer Kaye Ballard in the same year. The song was originally titled “In Other Words” until Peggy Lee, who made the song popular after her performance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1963, convinced Bart Howard to change it
Learn how to play one of the most popular bossa nova songs ever, Blue Bossa.
In this lesson, you will learn the melody, the chords and how to improvise.
All of Me was written in 1931 by Seymour Simons and Gerald Marks and later became a jazz standard. It’s especially popular with gypsy jazz players, but it works in any style. The harmony of All of Me moves slowly (most chords last two bars), which makes it a good tune for beginners. In this
Days of Wine and Roses was written by Henry Mancini in 1962 for the movie of the same name. The tune quickly became a jazz standard and a favorite among jazz guitarists, with memorable recordings by Joe Pass, Barney Kessel, Bill Frisell, and many others. The most famous jazz guitar version is Wes Montgomery’s recording
(Meet) The Flintstones is the theme of the ’60s television series The Flintstones (from season 3 on) and is one of the most recognizable theme songs ever. It was composed by Hoyt Curtin in 1961 and recorded with a big band and the Randy Van Horne Singers. In this lesson, you will learn how to
PG Music’s Band in a Box is well known among jazz musicians as intelligent automatic accompaniment software that makes it easy to produce backing tracks on the fly. I have been using BIAB since the late ’90s and while the earliest versions only used MIDI, the modern version of the program uses recordings of real
In this second installment of “Iconic Guitar Parts”, we’ll have a look at one of the most recognizable movie themes ever, the James Bond Theme, featuring the famous guitar riff played by Vic Flick. Written by Monty Norman and arranged by John Barry, the James Bond theme song was recorded in 1962 for the first
Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise was composed by Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II in 1928 for the operetta The New Moon (a kind of light opera). Artie Shaw’s recording of Softly (1938) brought the song into the jazz world and made it the popular jazz standard it is today. In this lesson, you
Take the “A” Train, composed by Billy Strayhorn in 1939 and first recorded in 1941, became the signature song of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. The title refers to the A subway line that had recently opened and ran from Brooklyn to Northern Manhattan, the center of the jazz world at that time. In this lesson,
Don’t Get Around Much Anymore is a classic swing standard written by Duke Ellington. He first recorded it with his orchestra in 1940 under the title Never No Lament. The tune became popular in 1943, with hit versions by both Duke Ellington and The Ink Spots. In this jazz guitar lesson, you will learn a
Stompin’ at the Savoy is a swing-era jazz standard written by alto saxophonist Edgar Sampson in 1933. It’s often credited to Benny Goodman, whose 1937 recording of the song reached number 4 on the U.S. hit charts. Stompin’ was the theme song of the Savoy Ballroom’s house band, led by Chick Webb. In this lesson,
Solar is a classic jazz standard, often associated with Miles Davis, although the song was originally composed by jazz guitarist Chuck Wayne in 1946 under the title Sonny. In this jazz guitar lesson, you will learn how to: Play the melody of Solar Understand the harmony and scale options Play a solo study over the
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) was written by Sonny Bono and originally released by Cher in 1966. Also in 1966, Nancy Sinatra recorded a cover version of Bang Bang, featuring the iconic tremolo guitar part played by Billy Strange. This version of the song regained popularity in 2003 when it was featured as
Mr. PC is a classic minor blues standard in C, written by John Coltrane and first recorded on his 1959 album Giant Steps. In this jazz guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play the melody and how to improvise a solo over its chord changes. The tune is dedicated to Coltrane’s longtime bassist, Paul Chambers,
In this lesson, you will learn how to combine chords with a walking bass line over a 12-bar jazz blues in F. The goal is to make the guitar function as both the harmony and the bass. This approach lets you keep the groove moving and outline the chord changes clearly. A walking bass line
Half-diminished seventh chords are minor chords with a flat five and are commonly used as the first chord in minor-key ii V I progressions. It’s important to have this type of chord with all its inversions under your fingers because they are used in almost every jazz standard. In this lesson, you will learn how
Endings are an important part of your jazz vocabulary because they are one of the most memorable parts for your listeners. The problem is that most jazz standards don’t have a fixed ending (aka coda), so it’s a good idea to have a couple of standard endings up your sleeve. In this lesson, you will
Released by Gibson in 1958, the ES-335 was the first thinline semi-hollow body electric guitar. The Gibson ES-335 is an archtop guitar equipped with two hollow chambers separated by a solid maple wood block running down its center, and twin humbuckers. The maple block provides the ES-335 with a hybrid solid/hollow body perfect for jazz
